Back-to-school: are you ready?

Everyone is getting freaked out about what the new school year will bring.

Teachers are wondering what kind of students they will get, or what classes they will be expected to teach.  Administrators are trying to sort out how the school will be organized and how to stretch limited resources to meet as many needs as possible.  Kids are getting a little bit scared – no matter what they say- about what the new school year will bring.

And parents, as always, are trying to hold everything together!

But there are ways to handle it so that it doesn’t cause you stress and overload.

1. Try not to do everything at once

Shopping for clothes, getting school supplies, finding lost backpacks, getting timetables set up, working out after school safety, planning after school activities …. There is a lot to think about.  Decide that you will organize one thing each day and keep to that plan.

1. Or, do everything at once!

If you are really short on time you might decide to use one day to get everything sorted out.  If this is what you want to do, make a list, prioritize it so you limit the amount of traveling involved, tell your child it is going to be a busy day, build in breaks and get going.  If anything gets missed – it has to wait for a few days!  This way you get the stress over in one fell swoop.

1. Don’t forget the intangibles!

Children need more than ‘stuff’ at the start of the new school year.  They need to know that you are interested in their school lives and that you and their teacher have ways of staying in touch.  Make contact with the school. Let your child’s teachers know that you will always be ready to hear about your child’s progress or problems.  Give the school a few days to settle down before you contact the teachers.

4.  Work out and post a family schedule

Most families do this automatically but it is worth repeating how important it is that everyone knows what is happening and what needs doing.  I suggest having a large ‘write-on’ calendar in an easy to see space and pens ready so that anyone can write in their schedules.  This allows for conflicts over scheduling to be sorted out before panic sets in.

There is an enormous amount of stress in families at this time of the year.  Remember the two basic rules that help keep this stress under control -

1. Take one thing at a time – or plan to get everything done in a day

2. Keep lines of communication open – both between home and school and between family members.

Then sit back and enjoy the anticipation and excitement.